


From the Diaries of Princesses

by socksful



Category: Disney Princesses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Feminist Themes, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Other, Poetry, Queer Themes, everything will be all right in the end, wlw - some
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2020-07-23 13:58:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20009443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socksful/pseuds/socksful
Summary: A collection of poems that are written through the perspective of modern Disney princesses you know and love. Each part discusses relatable struggles like self-acceptance, work, and love. See individual chapters for corresponding pinterest aesthetic boards.





	1. Elsa; Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yes, it's a metaphor. 
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/elsa/

Why wasn’t I enough for you?  
As a child, I could never argue with you  
And now that I have grown my own voice,  
There is nothing but corpses to scream at.  
Why did you leave?  
Why did you leave me?  
All of those years in a dark room,  
Hiding in a closet,  
Because you knew I was different.  
You loved me,  
You tried to help me,  
But all you really did  
Was tear me into pieces.  
“Try to keep it in”,  
“No one has to know”,  
And I believed your encouraging smiles,  
That there were so many things wrong with me.  
And I’d to anything to change them  
Just to make you proud.  
I love you,  
I still love you,  
Because in your ignorance,  
You were still trying your best.  
I can’t say that I would feel the same way  
If you were still alive.  
Have I forgiven you?  
Or have I forgiven the memory of you?


	2. Tiana; Celestial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which the grind does not stop
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/tiana/

The sun is not my friend.  
Every day, I race against him.  
Get up by 4,  
Be ready by 4:30,  
Prep for the opening shift at 6.  
Work till noon,  
Prepare for my next shift at 1.  
The heat beats my shoulders  
As I walk to the bus stop,  
Bag heavy on my shoulders.  
Filled with the next uniform,  
Meager tips,  
And the weight of my dreams.  
I work from 1 to 6,  
Then cover for someone until midnight.  
I close,  
Praying no one else will walk in and demand a table,  
Demand to return a sweater,  
Entitled to my time  
Even though the sun steals it all away.  
I catch the latest bus home  
With my keys displayed like claws  
That my clipped fingernails are not allowed to grow into.  
I can barely scrounge enough time together for myself  
Before I collapse into bed again,  
Squeezing my eyes shut tight  
To mimic an extra few hours of sleep.  
The moon is not my friend.  
But the stars appear every night for me to wish on  
And I wish,  
And I wish,  
Praying that the aches in my feet will mean something soon.


	3. Cindy; Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "cinderella isn't a modern role model".
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/cindy/

I come from a world that is not my own.  
It once was, long ago.  
I remember hearing the blue birds sing every day  
Just outside my window,  
Sharing their joy, imitating their chirps.  
Now, I watch them flutter their wings,  
Envy their flight.  
My step-mother has a steel smile,  
Hair the color of iron  
Because the days seem to strengthen her.  
I would never wish for her to die,  
But I do wish that she would take a trip  
To a place that she loves  
And never come back.  
Wouldn’t my problems be solved?  
Or maybe she’d make me miserable from afar.  
…It’s not as bad as I’m making it sound.  
I do the washing,  
The cleaning,  
The cooking,  
The serving,  
The errands,  
But it keeps me busy. It’s not so bad.  
I’m sure that there are ways for me to fight back.  
I’m sure that I could try to make her feel  
The way that she makes me feel.  
But true strength  
Is in kindness.  
And if she is steel and iron,  
Then I will glitter  
Like titanium and diamonds.


	4. Jasmine; Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rich girls don't have it all.
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/jasmine/

I am not “exotic”.  
My roots are buried deep  
Within the sands of the Middle East  
And the soils of South Asia,  
But those lands are not foreign to me.  
I have breathed in their heat  
And exhaled their culture,  
Richer than their spices  
Or the gold that dangles from my limbs.  
I am not “oriental”.  
My hair is not a woven rug,  
My lips are not playthings.  
I am not an imported antique,  
A magic lamp from an auction,  
Although I hold powers  
That few possess.  
I have many things,  
Cars and jewelry and houses and handbags  
But one thing I cannot buy myself  
Is the respect of men,  
Especially with skin  
The color of eggshells  
And just as fragile.  
I am not the daughter of a powerful man,  
Rather, I am a powerful woman.


	5. Aurora; Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little powerless
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/aurora/

“Is real life not good enough for you?”  
My aunt jokes.  
I laugh it off  
To not give myself away.  
“You know she’s a night owl,”  
Begins one of my mothers,  
“That’s why she’s always asleep.”  
Finishes the other.  
What they say is true.  
I spend my nights buried in my sketchbook,  
Snipping away at patterns,  
Mesmerized by the needle in my sewing machine.  
I like to dream.  
It’s not that I hate this house—  
The sun streaming through the windows,  
Floorboards creaking with familiarity.  
But there is nothing for me here beyond the front garden.  
I want to live among lights and the sounds of people,  
Not the flashes of fireflies or chirps of lonely crickets.  
And I want…oh, is it so bad?  
To want a prince charming?  
Not to save me, but someone to give my hand,  
A partner to dance with.  
I’ve seen him in my dreams before.  
There’s so much for me to see,  
For me to be,  
But my grasp can’t reach  
All the way to the sky  
Just yet.


	6. Snow; Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> courage has more than one meaning.
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/snow/

I never thought of myself as the type of person who runs away.  
We all like to think that when our back is to the wall,  
We’ll stand our ground and snarl.  
But the truth is that some of us whimper,  
Preferring to disappear into the night  
Rather than disappear from existence.  
My own mother wants me dead.  
But I’m starting to think that’s her problem.  
I try to see the best in everyone,  
But that candy apple is full of rusty nails  
And I have to let it go.  
Maybe running away is the right thing to do.  
I’ll run away from that cavern of broken glass and crusted breath,  
Into this warm, though small, space that I can call my own.  
Sure, seven roommates is a lot,  
But how else could we afford it?  
I might have to vacuum Dorito crumbs  
But they water my plants when I forget  
And are never too busy to walk me home at night.  
If I am a meek bunny,  
I’ll flee into my hole  
Because there is something better inside.


	7. Anna; Chipped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hopeless romantic
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/anna/

I’ve always been a little rough around the edges,  
Not quite perfect.  
I snort when I laugh,  
Stomp when I walk,  
Cartwheel when I should be keeping still.  
I could never keep my expressions under control,  
Hold the effortless, straight-backed posture of a queen.  
I’ve never really thought of these things as “flaws”.  
After all, they’re what make me…me.  
But at the same time,  
There must be a reason  
I’ve never had someone to call my own.  
Like…a boyfriend.  
I’m fun and caring and adventurous  
So why has no hand ever reached out to mine?  
I must be too plain to be loved.  
Like a muffin at a dessert table.  
Why go for the muffin when you can have some sexy chocolate?  
I guess chocolate isn’t sexy…I mean I’m always down for some chocolate.  
But anyway.  
Maybe I’m trying too hard.  
There was always someone who’d keep the door closed,  
No matter how many times I knocked,  
No matter how loudly my knuckles hit the wood,  
Even if my tears fell down to their music.  
One door slams after another…  
And I keep knocking.


	8. Belle; Siren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oui-u-oui-u-oui
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/belle/

Men look at me and think “beautiful”.  
I’m not complaining;  
It is a privilege to fit into the thin mold  
Of what society considers attractive these days.  
They see my petite frame,  
My slim waist and delicate nose.  
“She’s not even trying, but she’s so pretty.”  
They gesture to my glasses and loose sweaters and plain jeans  
That I wear for comfort and to redirect their gaze.  
“She’s like a siren,” I heard one of them say once,  
“Don’t listen to her call or she’ll drag you under.”  
But I have never uttered a word to you.  
For that reason, I used to be quiet.  
As silent as the words on the page  
Of whichever book I happened to be reading.  
I stayed inside facts and fantasy worlds  
To disappear from who I was.  
But as soon as I looked around,  
I saw that I wasn’t the only one who’d caught unwanted attention.  
The same animals who’d catcalled me  
Growled at fat girls, at women of color,  
Announced their tastes when no one had asked or given them a menu.  
I am a siren.  
But I am not a woman of the sea.  
I am the blaring noise in the dead of night,  
Throwing bright lights on injustices.  
I am the honking, the howling,  
I will get everyone to stare  
So that you may face your wrongs.  
I don’t care if I sound angry or ugly or nasty  
Because my worth does not come from you  
Nor does the worth of anyone else.  
I am a siren.  
Hear my call.


	9. Mulan; Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> time to be a map maker
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/mulan/

I could never do what I was supposed to.  
At every party, I wore the wrong clothes.  
At every gathering, I’d burn the food or forget the kettle on the stove.  
At every turn, I went the wrong way,  
The map I was given written in a foreign language.  
But I always did my best,  
To make you proud.  
What was I supposed to do when they tried to call you in?  
Let your frail bones march to your death?  
I refused to be a good daughter if it meant  
Not having a father to come home to.  
For once, in the army, I wore the right clothes.  
For once, I made my own choice,  
For once, I went the right way,  
Even though the right way was upstream.  
I could never do what I was supposed to  
And I thank my ancestors that I didn’t.  
I am becoming someone far greater  
Than whoever I was supposed to be.


	10. Ariel; Fish Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just because you have gills doesn't mean you can't drown
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/ariel/

The earth is 71% water  
So why should I waste all of my time on land?  
I could swear that in another life,  
I was born a mermaid  
Spending my time singing to coral reefs  
And dancing with schools of fish.  
But here I am now,  
Hidden from the sun by towers of books  
Who tell me, in too many words,  
How krill migrates and what their most distant cousins are.  
Put me in the water!  
I belong beneath waves  
And I don’t mind hiding beneath scuba gear to do it.  
The world down there is so mysterious,  
So vast and colorful that rainbows pale in comparison.  
Who needs to be on land when that’s where all of the problems are?  
In the ocean, even the sharks find peace with their prey.  
Will I ever find peace?  
I feel like prey that just hasn’t been caught yet.


	11. Pocahontas; Unnatural

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bernie 2020
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/pocahontas/

Red is a color that belongs with beauty.  
It belongs on lips, on hair, on jewels and leaves  
It belongs on the skin of apples and sun-kissed strawberries,  
It belongs on blooming roses and chirping cardinals and sneaky foxes  
It does not belong on your hats.  
It does not belong on the blood leaking over your hands.  
It does not belong in the White House.  
There are so many colors to paint with,  
But you insist on kicking people off the land  
That your murderous ancestors stole.  
My rage fuels me,  
But remember that I am not you.  
My eyes flow with anger,  
Wishing not just to take back,  
But to give,   
Give,  
Give.


	12. Merida; Teddy Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mcr is back; thank god
> 
> pinterest aesthetic board: https://www.pinterest.com/goodhoodie/modern-disney-princess-aesthetics/merida/

No one ever listens to me.  
‘You’re only sixteen,’ they say,  
‘You don’t know what you want.’  
They ignore my opinions, turning to their sons,  
Even though I could knock any of them unconscious  
With a single punch.  
I can’t cry in front of them without being belittled,  
So I save my tears for locked doors,  
Falling to blaring music that hides my screams of frustration.  
I can do anything,  
But what does it matter  
If no one believes that I can?  
My mother does, in that way you tell a child  
They could become president, when you know they never could  
Because they’re not the brightest of the bunch  
And throw their cereal at the walls.  
They think I’m a petulant child.  
And before you go trotting around on your high white horse,  
Ask yourself this:  
Wouldn’t you be angry if you were me?

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember to comment!


End file.
